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tv   NBC Nightly News  NBC  December 30, 2012 6:30pm-7:00pm EST

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a limb more than day to go for the fiscal deadline. the president turns up the heat in an exclusive interview with nbc news. the power of words, how writing a poem about the newtown school shootings landed a high school student in hot water did. she go too far? the timeless message of one of our most sacred documents,
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the emancipation proclamation at 150. and striking a chord -- ♪ with a new take on one of the greatest stories of all time. why "les mis" still resonates for so many. good evening, the words being thrown around on capitol hill were not what anyone wanted to hear, major setback, impasse, sticking points and now late word there will be no vote tonight. the light shining on top of the capitol dome mean he is a this the hour you can the senate and house of representatives are still officially in session but not much is happening tell white house, the president awaits word of movement, all heavy-duty
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negotiating to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff is going on behind closed doors. we have correspondents watching it on both ends of pennsylvania avenue and we begin with nbc's kelly o'donnell on capitol hill with the very latest on the ongoing negotiations. kelly? >> reporter: good evening, kate. well there are emotional swings around here and aides tell me six proposals shuttled back and forth two from democrats, four from republicans and still working on those. one of the biggest sticking points is should new leff new from tax increases be used to pay down the country's deficit or used to cover the cost of preventing sweeping government spending cuts? no ordinary sunday. arriving at the capitol, congressional leaders' every move and every word under scrutiny, as the country waits, weighing in from the white house, the president, who appeared on "meet the press," pushed republicans to give on taxes. >> i think it's been very hard for speaker boehner and republican leader mcconnell to
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accept the fact that taxes on the wealthiest americans should go up a little bit as part of an overall deficit reduction package. >> reporter: inside closed door negotiations this weekend, aipds say there have been "constructive move." on key issues like taxes, including compromise on where to set higher rates for wealthier americans and avoiding a jump in inheritance taxes. but this afternoon, republican leader mitch mcconnell complained that democrats had failed to deliver a promised counteroffer. so mcconnell called for help, phoning vice president biden who came to the white house today and now part of the talks. >> i want every ton know i'm following get this done. but i need a dance partner. >> reporter: majority leader harry reid acknowledged democrats were stuck and he, too called for help. >> i have a number of conversations with the president and at this stage, we are not able to make a counteroffer. >> reporter: democrats blamed republicans for a "major setback" when mcconnell
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suggested chances to social security that would mean that future increases in payments to seniors would be smaller. >> we are not going to have any social security cuts. at this stage, that just doesn't seem appropriate. >> reporter: a number of republican senators backed off, saying they keep social security off the table, but want democrats to do more to reduce the deficit u. >> republicans don't want to see new revenues, in other words, democrat tax increases, be used for new spending. and so that's sort of where where many of our members are drawing the line right now. >> reporter: i asked about the role of vice president biden and i'm told that it's sort of good cop, bad cop. if mcconnell would prefer to talk to the vice president, democrats say they are fine with that. there is still significant differences, i'm told and so tonight, the senate will go home, they will be back tomorrow morning and we await news then. kate? >> kelly o'connell watching it all on capitol hill. president obama has been trying to turn the heat on congress this weekend, applying new pressure on this interview with david gregory on "meet the
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press." nbc's kristen welker has more on that angle from the white house. good evening. >> reporter: kate you good evening. the president has repeatedly blamed republicans for the fiscal cliff stalemate and now, he is doubling down on that criticism. on "meet the press," president obama continued his public campaign to pressure congress. >> if congress doesn't act, then everybody's taxes go up. and for the average family that could mean a loss of $2,000 in income and the whole economy could slow down at a time went economy's actually starting to pick up. >> reporter: he, again, called on lawmakers to strike a deal or hold a vote on his plan, which would raise tax rates on wealthy americans, a major sticking point for republicans. >> the way they're behaving is that their only priority is making sure that tax breaks for the wealthiest americans are protected. that seems to be their only overriding, unifying theme. >> reporter: after the interview, republican leaders accused the president of assigning blame instead of
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leading. >> when they say leadership falls on you, mr. president, you don't have a role here in breaking this impasse? you have had a tough go with congress. >> david, at a certain point, if folks can't say yes to good offers, then i also have an obligation to the american people to make sure that the entire burden of deficit reduction doesn't fall on seniors who are relying on medicare. there is a basic fairness that is at stake in this whole thing. >> reporter: republicans say to be fair, the president must focus on entitlement reform to reduce the deficit. are you prepared to do that in your first second year of the second term? >> i said i'm brie paired to do everything i can to make sure medicare and social security are there not just for this generation but future generation. >> reporter: the president says despite the gridlock, he remains optimistic but also asserted democracy is messy. >> one way or another, we will get through this.
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do i wish that things were more order any washington and rational and people listened to the best arguments and compromised and operated in a more thoughtful and organized fashion? absolutely. but when you look at history, that's been the exception rather than the norm. >> reporter: now, the president also mapped out an ambitious second-term agenda, including immigration reform, energy policy and stiffer gun control laws but all that's on hold while the fight over taxes and spending rages on. kate? >> kristen welker at the white house tonight. so, what does an impasse mean? for more, wasn't to bring in cnbc's washington bureau chief, john harwood. let's break it down here. if we have no deal tomorrow, by midnight tomorrow, what happens? what is the direct impact on the american taxpayer? >> the biggest impact, kate, would be on the 2 million americans who would lose extended unemployment benefits of around $300 a month. the average family through the
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loss of the payroll tax cut would lose about $20 a week out of their paycheck and as for the tax withholding, the higher tax rates for people through the income tax code, treasury could put off delaying -- taking more money out of people's paycheck bus they are not inclined to do so unless a deal is imminent on capitol hill. >> the markets were unsettled last week with all the indecision in washington. what are we looking at on wednesday when wall street opens again, if we have no fiscal cliff deal? >> i talked to independent economist, mark zandi, he said if there is no deal on wednesday, expect a slow bleed in financial markets, maybe 50 to 100 points lost on the dow per day for a couple of weeks, if in mid-january it becomes clear that even going over the cliff hasn't made a deal more likely, expect a huge selloff, perhaps 800 points rivalling what happened when the first t.a.r.p. bill went down in the fall of 2008 during the financial crisis, kate. >> john harwood, thanks so much. and there will be much more on all of this tight on a live special report on cnbc. it's titled "america's economy
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held hostage," that's at 8:00 eastern time. overseas, this has been a very deadly weekend in syria, where the civil war has been going on now for 21 months, as fighting raged in a number of cities, activist groups say more than 50 people were killed today and yesterday was far worse, with almost 400 deaths reported. more than 45,000 people have died since the war began. and today, the special u.n. negotiator predicted that 100,000 more syrians could be killed this coming year if the conflict does not end. back in this country, that large and fast-moving winter storm that hit the northeast yesterday and last night came in and out in a hurry but it left a mark with quite a few areas of new england digging out today from up to a foot of snow. they included foxborough, massachusetts, where workers at gillette stadium were getting ready for today's game. parts of maine got even more snow, with up to 18 inches reported. so what is in store for the nation for new year's eve and beyond in the weather department?
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for that we turn to weather channel meteorologist kim cunningham. good evening. >> yes, good evening, kate. we are watching another storm come out of the rockies this time, a snow track further north. the snow from goodland, kansas, tonight through midnight, new year's day you kansas city you st. louis, missouri. you are going to pick up another one to three inches. what about the ball drop, midnight for the northeast? last year, pretty mild. new york city, it was 46 degrees at midnight. it will be colder this year, 36 degrees at midnight, washington, d.c. at 40 degrees, pittsburgh, 31. there is. >> snow in the forecast in any of these cities for the ball drop. here in chicago, talking 19 degrees, very cold in minneapolis at 1 degree. so, overall, a cool trend for the northeast, midwest and more snowfall. back to you, kate. >> thanks so much. when nightly news continues on this sunday, we will tell you why this high school student was
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suspended for writing a poem about something on her mind and on the minds of so many others. later, marking a big anniversary for a key document that changed the course of american history. by keeping my airways open for 24 hours. plus, it reduces copd flare-ups. spiriva is the only once-daily inhaled copd maintenance treatment that does both. spiriva handihaler tiotropium bromide inhalation powder does not replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms. tell your doctor if you have kidney problems, glaucoma, trouble urinating, or an enlarged prostate. these may worsen with spiriva. discuss all medicines you take, even eye drops. stop taking spiriva and seek immediate medical help if your breathing suddenly worsens, your throat or tongue swells, you get hives, vision changes or eye pain, or problems passing urine. other side effects include dry mouth and constipation. nothing can reverse copd. spiriva helps me breathe better. (blowing sound) ask your doctor about spiriva.
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a delicious new way to get essential vitamins you need. just bite into the tasty shell... to a chewy vitamin core for a unique multivitamin sensation! new centrum flavor burst. but that doesn't happen much anymore. the creative process never stops. and songwriting is so hard, but i love it. these days, i guess i just don't want to miss a thing.
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[ laughs ] i miss you guys. that's me. and this is my windows phone. [ male announcer ] new windows phone. reinvented around you. ♪ we have an update tonight on the school shooting in newtown, connecticut. the hartford currant reports the state police there are consider a partial recreation of the scene when they arrived at sandy hook elementary school on the day of the shootings. the question they are trying to answer, did adam lanza fire at officers arriving at the school? bullets found in the parking lot and in several cars have led some investigators to that conclusion. as that community continues to mourn, president obama said in his "meet the press" interview that something fundamental in america has to change. >> the question then becomes, you know, whether we are actually shook up enough by what happened here that it does not
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just become another one of these routine episodes where it get a lot of attention for a couple of weeks and then it drifts away. it certainly won't feel like that to me. this is something that -- that was the worst day of my presidency and it's not something that i want to see repeated. >> it hit close to home? >> yes. >> as we have seen, the tragedy of knuteson being felt by people far beyond that small connecticut town and moving them to respond in all kinds of ways. for one high school student in california, it was writing a poem about the shootings, but while she says she was just expressing herself and wanted to start a conversation, her school considered what she wrote a threat. that story tonight from nbc's diane avery jar. >> reporter: courtney webb writes poems to express her feelings, some are happy you some are sad. but this poem was considered a threat by her school. >> i understand the killings in
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connecticut. i know why he pulled the trigger. >> reporter: it was enough to get courtney suspended. >> i feel like i really been made to almost look like a monster by my school and i don't appreciate that at all. >> reporter: courtney says she was trying to express her belief that tragedies like sandy hook happen because people feel helpless. >> never in my life have i heard you couldn't mention a tragedy that happened. i didn't say that i agree with it. i said i simply understand it. >> reporter: a teacher found the poem in courtney's personal notebook and turn it had over to administrators, who told her stunned mother, valerie, her daughter had been suspended. >> she wasn't threatening herself, you know, she didn't threaten the school, she didn't threaten -- you know, she didn't threaten anybody. >> reporter: we were unable to reach anyone at life learning academy for comment, however, the school's letter to courtney's mom says her poem violated the school's zero tolerance policy toward violence. we discovered a note that contained deeply concerning and threatening language related to recent school shootings in
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newtown, connecticut. our concerns are for both the safety of our school community and for courtney herself. and while some may consider the poem's content too raw so soon after the tragedy, her mother says she has every right to express herself. >> 'cause i feel like they violated her freedom of speech. >> reporter: first amendment expert and attorney jonathan katz agrees. >> this is a bad civics lesson, for students to see someone being suspended in school for her words, especially these kind of words where she could not be sanctioned if she was outside the schoolhouse gates. >> reporter: it's not over. the high school senior faces possible expulsion. her mother says she is praying for a positive outcome. as for courtney, she says she is using this experience to become a better writer. >> this incident inspires me to speak my mind even more. >> reporter: she has even written a new poem titled "judgment." nbc news, los angeles. one more note on newtown. almost 400 resident of the town attended today's game at met
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life stadium between the giants and eagles, where they were greeted by the players in a special pregame ceremony. when we come back, the document that ended slavery, celebrating a milestone after 150 years. and the picture that caught our attention. would you buy a car from this parking lot? copd makes it hard to breathe, but with advair, i'm breathing better. so now i can be in the scene. advair is clinically proven to help significantly improve lung function. unlike most copd medications, advair contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator working together to help improve your lung function all day. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a day. people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia. advair may increase your risk of osteoporosis and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking advair.
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we are back tonight with some striking images from new york's long island. you're looking a the what was a runway, but is now being used as a massive parking lot for roughly 15,000 vehicles damaged by superstorm sandy. those beyond repair will be salvaged for parts but insurance companies hope to sell some of them back to people who can fix them up again and drive them, which made us think, have they got a deal for you? new year's day marks the 150th anniversary of one of this country's most important documents, the emancipation proclamation, president abraham lincoln's order that declared slaves in this country forever free. the document is once again on display. and nbc's ron mott has more. >> reporter: though clearly showing its age, fading ink, a yellow patina, the emancipation proclamation still draws undivided attention 150 years
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later, a document whose aim was to unite a country divided by war. >> it's amazing to see abraham lincoln's signature. >> reporter: today at the national archives in washington you can the frail order consigned to history on january 1, 1863, by president abraham linkson again on public display. showtime, just a few days every year. >> very uplifting experience. it is a very important document. >> reporter: presidential historian doris kerns good win on president lincoln freeing the slaves in the rebel states to fight for their own freedom. >> philosophically i lincoln had always believed that slavery was wrong. there's no question about that, from the time he was a young man. the question was what power did he, once he became president, have to do something about ending slavery? he finally found that door with his powers as commander in chief and with military necessity. and then he went through that door. >> reporter: the proclamation and the union admitting blacks to its fighting ranks, helped tip the balance of the war toward the north, ultimately
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weakening confederate forces and eventually preserving the united states of america. many slaves, of course, went to their deaths never experiencing the freedoms espoused in president lincoln's emancipation proclamation. some were buried here in what is now known as the african burial ground national monument, lost to censure of redevelopment, only discovered decades ago. as a mainly her motion picture chronicles the life of the 16th president -- >> i like our chances now. >> reporter: -- americans are reminds of a man who changed a nation by proclamation. ron mott, nbc news, new york. and as we look forward to the new year, something else that has withstood the test of time, final preparations have begun in times square for tomorrow's new year's eve celebration. organizers lit the famous crystal ball and sent it up and down for a test run. around 1 million people are expected to pack times square to watch the ball drop in person tomorrow, with 1 billion more watching around the world.
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when we come back, the timeless allure of a classic. why "les mis" is still gaining fans. ♪ >> to the barricades! i'm doing my own sleep study.
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lost your appetite for romance? and your mood is on its way down. you might not just be getting older. you might have a treatable condition called low testosterone or low t. millions of men, forty-five or older, may have low t. so talk to your doctor about low t. hey, michael! [ male announcer ] and step out of the shadows. hi! how are you? [ male announcer ] learn more at isitlowt.com. [ laughs ] hey! it's more than a film, it's money making phenomenon. the new hollywood adaptation of the long-running miracle, les miserabl miserables, raked in $116 million worldwide since opening on christmas day. it broke the record for the best
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opening day for any musical film. love it or hate it you probably already know some of the words. it's the kind of movie that stays with you you can the music on an endless loop in your head. ♪ pretending he is beside me ♪ do you hear the people sing >> director tom hooper made the film knowing he had an automatic audience. 60 million people around the world have seen the musical on stage since it opened in the mid'80s. so long ago, some of us have the soundtrack on cassette tape. this week, the digital version is a best seller again. news day theater critic linda winer says "les mis" was always critic-proof. >> very, very good marketing technique and then you have material that has stood the test
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of time. you know, victor hugo didn't write a bad book. >> reporter: there's something about that story set in the early 1830s in postrevolution france that somehow universally appealing. >> what he has done so brilliantly is actually tell the story of the human condition. that it's never easy. there's never -- it's never always happiness. ♪ can i conceal myself forever more ♪ >> that is why people relate to t. >> how difficult is it to take something that's been in the theater for so long to film? >> the intersection between broadway and hollywood is really dangerous corner. look at "phantom of the opera" was a flop. "chorus line" was a flop. "rent" was a flop. "evita" was a sort of -- yeah it was a flop. ♪ so many questions and answers ♪ >> but what makes "les mis" very different from other musical films is this time, the actors were singing live, not
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lipsynching to a track they had already recorded. the cameras were right in their faces, showing off the bad teeth prosthetics and dirt splotches, creating a lot of raw emotion on screen. >> i cried when all the characters would die, 'cause it was really sad. >> i cried. i laughed. and it made me think about the things i'm going through. >> industry watchers say the movie just might drive a new generation of fans to see the play. the show's theatrical producer says "lay mis"will be back on broad way in 2013 for the third time. that is "nbc nightly news" for this sunday night. up next, sunday night football, redskins and the cowboys. i'm kate snow reporting from new york. for all of us here at nbc news, have a great night.
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